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Related Concept Videos

Somatic Spinal Reflexes01:22

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Somatic spinal reflexes are rapid, involuntary muscular responses to external stimuli that involve the somatic musculature and the spinal cord.
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The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
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A reflex activity is an automatic, involuntary response to specific stimuli. It is a part of our survival mechanism, designed to protect us from potential harm. For example, when a bright light suddenly shines into our eyes, we instinctively close them or look away. This is a simple reflex activity orchestrated by the nervous system without conscious thought or effort.
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Urination, or micturition involves the coordination of the bladder's detrusor muscle and two sphincters to ensure controlled bladder emptying.
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Nerve plexuses are networks of interlacing nerves that serve as communication hubs to distribute and organize nerve action across various body regions. The nerve plexuses are organized into the cervical plexus located in the neck region, brachial plexus in the shoulder area, lumbar plexus found in the lower back, sacral plexus situated in the pelvis, and coccygeal plexus located in the coccygeal region.
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Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the...
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Spinal stretch reflexes support efficient control of reaching.

Jeffrey Weiler1,2, Paul L Gribble1,2, J Andrew Pruszynski1,2,3

  • 1Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.

Journal of Neurophysiology
|March 10, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Spinal circuits, not just the brain, can efficiently control arm movements during reaching. This research shows the spinal cord plays a key role in dynamic motor control and hand movement.

Keywords:
motor controlreachingreflexspinal cord

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Efficient hand movement relies on coordinated multi-joint arm motion.
  • Traditionally, motor control is attributed to the cerebral cortex and brainstem.
  • Recent studies suggest spinal circuits contribute to static hand posture control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if spinal circuits can also efficiently control hand movements during reaching actions.
  • To determine the role of spinal pathways in dynamic motor control.

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed reaching movements while experiencing multi-joint mechanical perturbations to the elbow and wrist.
  • The grasp on the manipulandum was altered to change how perturbations affected hand movement relative to the target.
  • Spinal stretch reflexes in elbow muscles were measured.

Main Results:

  • Spinal reflexes were dependent on the hand's location relative to the target, not solely on muscle stretch.
  • Altering arm orientation changed reflex responses, which remained related to hand position.
  • These findings indicate spinal circuits adapt reflex responses based on task context.

Conclusions:

  • Spinal circuits contribute to efficient hand control during dynamic reaching.
  • Flexible and efficient motor control is not solely reliant on supraspinal processing.
  • The spinal cord plays a significant role in rapid, adaptive motor control during movement.